Why the Army Is Borrowing Light Armored Vehicles from the Marines

The U.S. Army is borrowing light armored vehicles from the Marine Corps to offer support for airborne forces. The LAV-25A2, armed with a devastating 25mm automatic cannon, will provide reconnaissance and fire support for paratroopers until an even more heavily armed, permanent solution can be arranged.

For decades, 4-68 Armor was the Army’s only airborne light tank unit. Attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, the battalion operated M551 Sheridan light reconnaissance tanks for decades before retiring them for good in 1996. The M551 could be airdropped from high altitude, or via a technique known as Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES)—essentially having the tank be pulled out of a C-130 transport by its own parachute. When 4-68 Armor was deactivated, it left U.S. airborne and light infantry formations without their own class of armored vehicles.

Last week, however, the Army reactivated 4-68 Armor as it shifts attention away from conflicts like the war in Afghanistan toward potential slugfests with large, mechanized forces such as the Russian army. If the 82nd Airborne Division ever goes into action against Russian troops, it could find its foot-mobile paratroopers outmaneuvered by Russians riding in BTR, BMP, and Kurganets-25 armored vehicles. The Marine Corps' LAV-25A2 is a stopgap solution to keep that from happening.

The LAV-25A2 is the older brother to the Army’s Stryker infantry armored vehicles. It's smaller—the Army can fit four LAVs inside an Air Force C-17 heavy transport, as opposed to just three Strykers. And in January 2018, the Army’s U.S. Army Operational Test Command certified the LAV-25A2 as air-droppable, making it the only armored vehicle in the Pentagon’s inventory that can be dropped from and airplane and has a weapon larger than a .50 caliber machine gun, and clearing the way for its integration into the 82nd Airborne.

The LAV-25A2 has a crew of three and room for six soldiers in the rear. It is equipped with a 25mm automatic cannon, the same gun used on the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and two 7.62mm machine guns. A 275-horsepower Detroit Diesel engine gives it a top road speed of 62 miles an hour. The vehicles were improved to the -A2 standard in the 2000s with the addition of a thermal night sight, laser rangefinder, and improved armor that protects it from up to 14.5mm heavy machine guns.

U.S. Army LAV-25A2 during airdrop tests, January 2018.

U.S. Army

But the Army needs more. The Army is currently seeking a replacement vehicle, tentatively known as Mobile Protected Firepower. MPF would provide long-range direct fire against enemy vehicles and fortifications, including bunkers and trench lines. It would be air-deployable, landing beside crews in the drop zone. MPF would also fight alongside U.S. light infantry units, bolstering them in the attack and defense.

The current requirement is for approximately 504 MPFs across the U.S. Army and National Guard. Until they arrive, the LAV-25A2s offer a more than adequate alternative.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.